Adventures in the air, on the ground and in between

Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

There will be no Canadian Aviation Expo in 2012. According to a press release from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum the Expo “has postponed the 2012 Expo and its 20th anniversary celebrations until 2013 in order to support this years 40th anniversary of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWHM) and the 60th anniversary of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Associations (COPA).”

The Canadian Aviation Expo brings together exhibitors from virtually every aspect of aviation for a two day trade show. If you’ve never been or just want to see what the expo was like in previous years, I have a few posts which you can find here.

With the Expo postponed, the next aviation event to look forward to in Hamilton is the 2012 Hamilton Air Show taking place June 16-17.

The 2012 Hamilton Air Show will be taking place Father’s Day weekend, June 16-17 at John C. Munro, Hamilton International Airport. The show will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum and promises some fantastic displays including:

Royal Canadian Air Force’s 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Snowbirds

The Hamilton Air Show takes place on Father’s Day weekend, June 18th and 19th, 2011 at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum at John C. Munro, Hamilton International Airport (CYHM).

I’ve written about the show before and provided links to the air show site for all official information. This post is intended to give you a checklist of things to do before, during and after the air show to help you enjoy your day. This post is by no means meant to be all inclusive so please consider the suggestions below as just that: suggestions. Hope to see you at the air show!

Before you leave

Check the weather forecast for Hamilton for the day. This will give you an idea of what to expect and what you should wear.

Put on sunscreen and bring a hat. You’ll be out and about all day. Even if it may not seem like it (depending on the weather), it is summer and chances are you will burn. Large umbrellas are not allowed.

I am partial to closed toe, closed heel shoes, but it will be summer and most likely hot. You will be walking among large machines made almost entirely out of metal so exercise your judgement on this one.

Pack something to sit on be it a blanket, chairs, etc. The display portion of the air show lasts about two hours and you want to be comfortable.

Charge your camera’s batteries / pack extra batteries.

Bring one bottle of water for each person in your party, you’ll be able to buy more at the show.

Everyone in your party should have sufficient cash on hand for the day. There will be ATMs at the air show but save yourself the exorbitant fees and take cash out from your own bank. Admission at the gate is cash only.

You can expect prices of food and drinks to be akin to those found at summer festivals. Use the following as guidelines for how much cash to bring, per person:

At the airport

The air show begins at 2 PM and the flying aircraft parking closes to the public at 1 PM. Static aircraft will be available to visit during the show.

Find a spot to sit by the flight line early, maybe starting at 12 PM because once the flying aircraft are closed to the public there will be a rush of people trying to find a good spot. If you want to see aircraft taxi as well as take off / land sit on the left (south) side of the taxi way.

Have fun, take lots of pictures and enjoy the aircraft!

The air show website has some tips and suggestions as well. If you have anything to add, feel free to leave them in the comments below.

I’ve taken the liberty of overlaying it on a Google Earth shot of the airport to give those of you familiar with the airport a better idea of where things will be and rough estimates of distances. Click the image to enlarge it.

Some things to note when planning your day:

Active runway will be 06-24 and performing aircraft will be taxiing from the museum via taxiway C which splits the two (yellow) flight line areas

The static aircraft will be on display on the old 12R-30L runway

Performing aircraft parking will close at 13:00, one hour before the air display begins at 14:00. Static display aircraft will be available during the airshow

From the website: you CANNOT bring large coolers on the premises. Drinks and food will be available for purchase. All food vendors will be cash only. ATMs will be on site.

Gates open to the general public at 9AM each day. General admission parking is situated approximately 3 KM with a free shuttle provided. There will be signs posted directing you to the parking lot and I will try to find a map of that as well. For those of you taking public transit, the HSR will be running its A line shuttle from downtown Hamilton to the airport with a few stops along the way. Check out the links on this page for more information.

I am working on a post with tips on making the most of your day at the Hamilton Air Show. Keep an eye out for it in the next week or so.

The map as released by @CWHM on Twitter can be found on TwitPic and I’ve linked to it below.

Update May 27: I’ve noticed a few searches for the parking area (I’m assuming for visitor’s cars). As of now the word is that there will be signs posted to let you know where to park. I have asked @CWHM where parking will take place and I am waiting to hear back. As soon as I know I will post the information. Stay tuned!

Today I received my Early Bird Photo Pass to the 2011 Hamilton Airshow along with the parking pass and directions / instructions. I plan to be there for the whole day on Saturday, June 18th starting at 7 AM.

As a side note, I am planning on renting a couple of lenses for my Nikon D80 for that weekend so if you have any tips, or know any one that would be able to offer some advice please let me know through the comments.

The show takes place June 18th and 19th at John C. Munro, Hamilton International Airport (CYHM). A note about fly-ins according to some sources from the Warplane Heritage Museum: they will not be allowed as the field will be closed for the weekend.